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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26944798">No Good in Goodbye</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderrrstruck/pseuds/Thunderrrstruck'>Thunderrrstruck</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe – Mafia, Break Up, F/M, Goodbyes, Howard Stark is a Mob Boss, Lies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:29:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>516</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26944798</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderrrstruck/pseuds/Thunderrrstruck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After an unsuccessful attempt at detaching himself from his father’s illegal empire, Tony resigns himself to an unfavourable reality. And it's all in the name of protecting her.</p><p>[Snippet from my mcu mafia!au]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pepper Potts/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Whumptober</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>No Good in Goodbye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for day 8 of Whumptober2020. Prompt: "Don't say goodbyte." Both Pepper and Tony are 17 years old.</p><p>I have not checked this over before posting, so forgive any SPaG errors or clunky wordings. :P</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony lifts his fist to the door, but it takes him a few seconds of pause to muster enough courage to do this. This wasn’t just some party fling he can drop the night after, this was Pepper. Virginia Potts deserved an explanation. She deserved the world, and sadly, Tony resigned himself to not being the one to give it to her.</p><p>He rapped with his knuckles the door before fixing his eyes at the edge where stoop met house. With every passing second or two of no reply, he shuffled an inch backwards. <em>It’s not too late to leave</em>, part of him thought. <em>You can still go out with her</em>. He was tempted. His car (his dad’s, the one he <em>borrowed</em> without asking) stood  directly behind him. He fingered the keys in his right coat pocket, contemplating what a fake out would cost him.</p><p>The creak of the front door and his attention jumped to face front again. There she was, orange hair swept over one shoulder, her figure already clad in pastel, pinstriped pyjamas. He remembered them from their first night together. She had looked like an angel then, and she looked like one now: effortlessly graceful. His soul fought to rise. He battled it to the ground, knowing how undeserving he was to have her. After what he planned to do tonight, he deserved a slam of the door in his face, instead.</p><p>“I can’t see you,” he spit out.</p><p>Pepper blinked at him. “Tony? What do you mean?”</p><p>“It means I… It means what I said.” He commanded himself not to shiver with self-loathing. <em>I don't want this, I don’t want this, how can you do this to her!?</em></p><p>She stepped away from the doorframe and crossed her arms.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“<em>Why?</em>” Tony repeated, unable to formulate any coherent thought in his head. “I can’t say that. This is just how it has to be. Okay? Don’t ask me that.”</p><p>“You’re <em>okay</em> with this?” she said, spitting a little.</p><p>“I’m not– I’m just... Pep. <em>Pepper</em>, I can’t do this right now.”</p><p>Her expression was already hostile, but now it soured even more.</p><p>“You’re going to tell me right now, Tony!”</p><p>He hung his head. The cement used for the stoop had an interesting pattern of pebbles, and he’d rather count them than stare at Pepper’s face. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell her, it was that he couldn’t. How did one simply explain that their father was the most notorious mob boss the West had ever seen? To a policeman’s daughter, no less. To the girl he loved! It was impossible either way for Pepper not to think any less of him.</p><p>“I... My dad...” He shook his head. The thought of outing his father left a rotten taste in his mouth. Perhaps his parents weren’t ideal, perhaps Howard <em>did</em> yell sometimes, but they were family, and family meant every member loved every other. “I wish I could.”</p><p>“Don’t you dare–.”</p><p>“Goodbye, Peps.”</p><p>Tony turned and left. <em>Don’t look back</em>, he thought on repeat. He’d lose all resolve if he did.</p>
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